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Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the author of the Anastasia Phoenix series, three YA spy thrillers that begin with PROOF OF LIES (Entangled Publishing, 2017). She is also the author of the award-winning Amor and Summer Secrets series (Kensington Books); the Mirror, Mirror short story collection (Buzz Books); and essays in both Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins) and Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books). She is an advisory board member for the Philly Spells Writing Center, and is a Creative Writing Instructor for Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two kids.

Website:

www.dianarodriguezwallach.com

Recent Posts

Mother nature has not been kind to the Latino community in recent weeks. An earthquake devastated Mexico, two major hurricanes flooded Texas and Florida, and a third deadly hurricane has left Puerto Rico destroyed and without power. And it’s Hispanic Heritage Month. So if you’ve already given to the relief efforts and you want to remind yourself of the rich Hispanic culture you are supporting, consider watching a few films based on novels by Hispanic writers. (Odd coincidence—it seems the ‘80s were a good decade for Latin novels.)

From The Nineties documentary on CNN, to action movies like The Mummy, to Steven Spielberg reviving the Animaniacs cartoon, to radio stations switching to all Hip Hop Throwbacks, to Netflix rebooting everything from Full House to The Gilmore Girls, nineties nostalgia is everywhere lately. But one show not likely to make its way back on air with its cast in tack is an infamously well-paid group of Friends.

Collectively bargaining for $1 million per actor per episode fifteen years ago, means Jennifer Aniston and co. would likely demand a much higher price tag than NBC could ever afford. (Only the actors of The Big Bang Theory have hit the $1 million threshold since, and that’s in current dollars.) So we may never know if Ross and Rachel, or Monica and Chandler, stay together, but that doesn’t mean we can’t daydream about what the “Must See TV” classic would look like if rebooted for the Millennial Generation.

So let’s imagine Friends set in 2017 Manhattan and all the elements that would drastically change (especially the establishing shots of the World Trade Center).

Some call it Valentine’s Day, some call it Single Awareness Day (SAD). If you fall into the latter group, you are likely looking for a way to either ignore the hearts and flowers overflowing from every store aisle, or you are expanding your right to protest by launching a full-scale Anti-Valentine’s Day attack.

So if you’re out shopping for ironic candy hearts that say “Platonic Forever” and planning to watch a bunny boil in Fatal Attraction, add a little reading material that will also make you happy you’re single for the night.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has off today, then you probably know it’s Columbus Day. Otherwise, you might not realize it’s a holiday until you see the commercials for Columbus Day Weekend Sales. (Thank you, Macy’s.)

Despite the sea of controversy surrounding Columbus, use this opportunity to read some stellar books. Columbus-inspired locations are big in fiction, so check out these six books, comics, and TV shows set in spots named after the explorer who "discovered" America.

Did you know that July is National Hot Dog Month? Probably not unless you work for Oscar Mayer or Hebrew National. But don’t fret, there’s still time to celebrate. So go out and buy your 10-pack of hot dogs and an annoyingly unsynchronized 8-pack of buns, then pick up one of these 6 books to show your appreciation for blended pork bits.

The film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies will be hitting theaters next month, six years after the debut of the novel that arguably spawned the entire mashup, steampunk genre. If you’re excited to see Elizabeth Bennett on-screen kissing Mr. Darcy and slaying zombie butt, you’re not alone.

But no film adaptation would be complete without an epic playlist. So get ready to see your classic characters paired with music to fit their new zombie tastes. Scroll to the bottom for the full playlist.